At the end of the funeral of the Duchess of Kent today at Westminster Cathedral, King Charles and Prince William were seen in a rare exchange with disgraced Prince Andrew
The King and Prince William were thrown together in an awkward moment with Prince Andrew at the funeral of the Duchess of Kent.
Nearly all senior members of the Royal Family turned out to pay their respects to the late Duchess, the wife of the Duke of Kent, who died earlier this month at the age of 92.
At the end of the service at Westminster Cathedral, as the Duchess’s coffin was carried to the hearse for a private burial at Windsor, the King, William, his wife Kate, and the other royals stood on the steps of the building to pay their final respects. As they waited, disgraced Andrew, who is known to have a rocky relationship with his older brother, Charles, and nephew, the Prince of Wales, was seen chatting with them.
Andrew could be seen smiling at William, who looked straight ahead as they had an awkward exchange. Moments later, Andrew was also seen speaking with the King, who briefly smiled at his brother, as vehicles carrying other members of the royal family left the cathedral piazza, while William looked away.
It came as Andrew made a rare appearance outside of Windsor, where he lives at Royal Lodge, as he attended the funeral with his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York.
His public career was effectively ended by his friendship with American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and he was also recently embroiled in a scandal with an alleged Chinese spy.
Sources have previously said the King is “continually exasperated” with his younger brother and his scandals, while William is also said to have “no time for his uncle”. Andrew’s attendance at the funeral sparked gasps from onlookers as he turned up for the service alongside his ex-wife Fergie.
Queen Camilla did not attend the funeral alongside the King as she is recovering from acute sinusitis, but remains hopeful of being able to attend the royal elements of US President Donald Trump ’s state visit to the UK.
The requiem mass for the Duchess, who died peacefully at home, was the first Catholic funeral to be held for a member of the royal family in modern British history.
Moments before the requiem mass began, the duchess’s immediate family arrived, led by her daughter Lady Helen Taylor, walking arm in arm along the nave with her father, the Duke of Kent. Behind them were her siblings, Lord Nicholas Windsor and George, Earl of St Andrews, and the duchess’s many grandchildren.
Andrew and Sarah sat at the end of a row with the Duchess of Edinburgh in the middle and Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence at the other.
Across the aisle, Kate was dressed in black, like all the mourners, and she wore a four-strand pearl and diamond choker necklace, which belonged to Queen Elizabeth II, the same piece she wore at the late Queen’s funeral in 2022.
Among those attending the funeral were former Formula One world champion Sir Jackie Stewart and actresses Rula Lenska and Dame Maureen Lipman.
The Duchess was a devout Catholic and during her funeral, Pope Leo XIV paid a personal tribute to her, praising her “legacy of Christian goodness” in a message delivered during the service.
He said: “I was saddened to learn of the death of Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, and I send heartfelt condolences, together with the assurance of my prayerful closeness, to Your Majesty, the members of the royal family, and especially to her husband, the Duke of Kent, and their children and grandchildren at this time of sorrow.
“Entrusting her noble soul to the mercy of our Heavenly Father, I readily associate myself with all those offering thanksgiving to Almighty God for the duchess’s legacy of Christian goodness, seen in her many years of dedication to official duties, patronage of charities, and devoted care for vulnerable people in society.
“To all who mourn her loss, in the sure hope of the resurrection, I willingly impart my apostolic blessing as a pledge of consolation and peace in the Risen Lord.”
The duchess was known for consoling losing Wimbledon finalists, notably a tearful Jana Novotna in 1993, and presented trophies at the championships for many years.
She preferred to be known as Mrs Kent and dropped her HRH style, retreating from royal life to spend more than a decade secretly teaching music in a state primary school in Hull.
Bishop James Curry, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, gave an uplifting homily highlighting the duchess’s varied public life, from training to work with the Samaritans, visiting Lourdes, or co-founding the music charity for young people Future Talent.
He said: “Mrs Kent loved teaching children, knowing that a classroom is full of learners. Too often, young minds, and ours, are solely defined by hurts, wounds, and disappointments.
“With Future Talent, Mrs Kent wanted those young persons to have the opportunity to be defined by (the) gift, potential and promise they possessed and to give them the opportunity to flourish.
“And who could forget that Wimbledon moment in the ladies’ final with Jana Novotna. When questioned by the press about the embrace, Katharine simply said ‘we are human you know, it’s what you do when someone needs comfort’.” After the funeral her coffin was taken to the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore on the Windsor estate.